A microscopic virus is changing the world, upending the workplace, morphing family dynamics, and shuffling the routines of our lives. Dealing with all of this change puts new pressure on the four walls we call home. This building is being asked to stretch to provide work space for adults, classrooms for children and living space for everyone including adult children who are coming back home in unprecedented numbers.
We face real problems when trying to coax buildings to stretch. Sometimes adapting a home to function in new and creative ways involves lengthy and expensive construction projects. But it doesn’t have to. Innovative design thinking can unlock opportunities that have been invisible, until now.
There are traditional solutions available to homeowners, who are ready to embark on expensive and time consuming projects that literally stretch the size of the home via new construction. We all have friends, family or neighbors who have taken the plunge to build that accessory dwelling unit in the back yard, add the addition or the second story, or even start over with a brand new building.
There is a more modest path to a responsive home.
To challenge the idea that buildings don’t stretch, architects are testing new ways to make homes more nimble and adaptive to the changing needs of occupants. This concept finds ways to work with existing conditions (your home), existing materials (your home) and modest improvements to unlock flexibility, convertibility, and huge value in just a few months. This is a design process known as Invisible Infill™.
For the curious, and the skeptics, this process has already been successfully tried and proven in an existing 2,200 square foot home in Los Angeles. For comparison, that is about 200 square feet smaller than the average American home. The result is an existing single family home which now includes a new, completely independent, one bedroom apartment which is fully permitted, completed within a design and construction budget comparable to the price of a used car, and completed in just a few months. This micro-development results in a home + apartment, all in one.
The guest suite can be used as independent living space for a parent, a boomerang child home from college, or a work from home oasis. In the new era of quarantine, it also offers a unique way to safely shelter the vulnerable under the same roof. A modest investment in Invisible Infill™ provides a steady income stream, when offered as a rental. The inherent flexibility to convert back to a conventional single family home with a few minor adjustments, can make your home the most responsive and adaptable on the block. Come on in, and get inspired! (insert link to video tour).
Large, and very large homes are even more adaptable to Invisible Infill™. With the choice of inhabiting either the larger home, or the independent apartment, homeowners would never need to face a decision to downsize, or move out of their neighborhood, if the house became ‘too big’.
It’s all about freedom. Home equity remains intact. The tax assessment is unchanged. Your expertly designed, responsive home is ready for enjoyment right away.
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